Wireless communication devices are integral to the daily lives of most users. Wireless communication devices are used to make voice calls, check email and text messages, update social media pages, stream media, browse websites, and so forth. As a result, users of wireless communication devices expect telecommunication carriers to provide constant and reliable telecommunication and data communication service at all times.
As a user roams over a geographical area, a wireless communication device of the user that is engaged in an ongoing voice call or data session with a carrier network may be transferred from one base station or another base station of the carrier network. In other words, the wireless communication device may terminate an existing wireless communication connection with a first base station and establish a new wireless communication connection with a second base station without interrupting the voice call or data session. This transfer of the wireless communication device between the multiple radio cells provided by the base stations may be referred to as a handover.
Handovers may be trigger by radio signal strength or quality as detected by a wireless communication device. For example, as the radio signal strength emanating from a first radio cell to the wireless communication device falls below a threshold and the radio signal strength emanating from a second base station rises above the threshold, a carrier network may trigger the wireless communication device to switch its communication connection from the first base station to the second base station. However, carrier networks generally apply the same signal strength or quality threshold values to trigger handovers for all wireless communication devices, regardless of data usage, service being actually utilized, device type, or other factors that are related to the operations of the devices.